Improved automatic fire-extinguisher



.RUFUS LAPHAM, Ol? NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVKED AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

Specification forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 65,682, dated June 11,1867.

To all whom fit may concern.-

Be it known that I; RUFUs LALPHAM, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have made certain Improvements in Automatic Fire Extinguishers andAlarms; andI do hereby declare that the following is an exactdescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing andletters of reference marked thereon.

The nature of my invention consists in constructing iire extinguishersand alarms in such a manner, and by the employment of suitablematerials,that the increase of heat or the iiame produced by thebreaking out of a fire shall immediately cause an alarm to be given andchemicals brought together which shall generate carbcnic-acid gas in theroom on iire, and also to cause water, steam, gas, or any otherextinguishable agent to be let into the room upon the re, thereby makingthe re itself give its own alarm and put itself out, all workmgautomatically.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings the outlines B B may represent the walls ofa room; A, an alarm-movement attached to the wall or ceiling, and havinga hammer, D, acting upon the v bell B', which may be attached inside oroutside of the building; M, a mercury pipe ortube, entering an uprightblock or tube, N; E, a screw by which the altitude of the mercury in Nis regulated. T T is a thin piece of blocktin, or any other metal whichwill readily amalgamate with mercury, passing loosely through N, justabove the tube M, and crossing the hole in N, which meets that of thetube M. L L L are small cords or wires, one being attached to the tin TTl and to the pallet of the alarm, another to the tin T T and to thepackage or vessel C', containing carbonate or bicarbonate of soda, andthe other attached to the tin T Tl and to the handle of the cock G. S isa spiral spring, also attached to said handle. R is a vessel for holdingsulphuric acid, just beneath the package O.

Now, suppose the tube M is filled with mercury to a level, say a', andthe alarm A wound up and held from running down by the cord L attachedto the pallet, and suppose the vessel It be one-third iilled with dilutesulphuricacid,'and the cock C# to be shut, now, if the tinT T' be cuton", the cords L L L" will all be-loosened, causing the alarm to ring,the soda to drop into the acid, and the spring S to act, opening the-cock C, through which any extinguishablc agent keptin reserve can owinto the room. The carbonate of soda brought thus into contact with theacid will immediately generate-'carbonio acid gas, which, impregnatingthe atmosphere of the room, will extinguish the iire. Now, to cut thetin T Tl automatically, and accomplish thereby these desirable results,the mercury in the tube M is a certain agent. The increase of heatoccasioned by the fire will cause the mercury to expand and to rise andcover the tin at a, and, forming an amalgam with the tin, will eithersever it at on'ce, or make it so devoid of strength that a slight weightor draw upon it will pull it apart. The package G and the spring Sanswer being thus severed, the desired objects are thereby obtained.

The tube M may extend across the whole room, and have several branchesentering it crosswise,'and even may extend into adjoining rooms; orthere may be several of them in one room, acting independent of eachother.

The cock C may connect by a pipe to a reservoir at a distance containingcarbonio-acid gas, one reservoir serving for many buildings, probablyfor a large city.

To avoid all dangers from the gas during occupancy of the room, thepackage C can be very easily drawn aside, so thatgthere could be nopossibility of danger of its falling into the acid, and then very easilyreplaced on leaving; but in all cases the alarm will give seasonablenotice of escape. -And the tube M may hang vertically, and be made o'fglass, like a thermometer, having thereon indices to indicate thedegrees of heat, but open at the top to allow the mercury to overflowonto the tin'T T whenever a iire shall break out in the room. Or thetube M may be covered on one end by an elastic covering, against whichthe mercury can expandwithout any escape, pressingit out ward; and tothis elastic covering may be attached a lever or slide, which will moveby the expansion, allowing the alarm to ring, the chemicals to 'bebrought together, and the cock G to open; or, instead ofthe elasticcovering, a

for such a weight. The tin plunger or stopple may be inserted in the endof the tube M, to which a lever or slide may be attached, accomplishingthe same results. Intlllaoth these cases the tin T T is dispensed W1What I claim7 and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The application of the expansion of mercury by the heat produced bythe breaking out oi' a iire in a room to cause an alarm to be gwen.

2. The application of the expansion of mercury by the heat produced bythe breaking out of a fire in a room to cause chemicals that producecarbonio-acid gas to be brought together, for the purpose set forth.

3. The application of the expansion of mer; cury by the heat produced bythe breaking out of a re in aroom to cause a cock, or its equivalent7 toopen for the purpose of letting in any extinguishing agent kept inreserve.

4; The application of the expansion of meroury by the heat produced bythe breaking out of a fire in a room to sever a wire, or its equivalent7with Which vmercury readily amalgamates, for the purposes set forth.

5. Generally, for all purposes to Which it is adaptable, arranging aWire, or its equivalent, with which mercury readily amalgamates in sucha relation to the mercury that when eX- panded by heat it shall unitewith said Wire7 or its equivalent7 and cause it to be separated.

` g RUFUS LAPHAM.

Witnesses:

GEo. CLARKE, SAMUEL CoLBY.

